Spurs Edge Thunder In OKC, Go Up 2-1 In Western Conference Semis

It went all the way down to the wire, but behind their trademark lock-down defense, the San Antonio Spurs managed to hold off the Thunder in Oklahoma City, winning 100-96 to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinals series.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 31 points, LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 and Tony Parker added 19, but yet again, it was what San Antonio did on the other end of the floor that willed them to victory down the stretch. The Spurs held OKC to 41 percent shooting from the field and 33 percent from deep, and forced 14 turnovers including five apiece from Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

The Spurs only had eight giveaways as a team, and were also aided by terrific shooting from beyond the arc, as they shot 10-for-19 from three. They struggled from the charity stripe, uncharacteristically leaving 10 points at the line, but two Parker free-throws with just 18 seconds to go and two more from Leonard with just two tickets left on the clock effectively iced the game for San Antonio.

Westbrook put up 31 points for the Thunder and Durant added 26, but both turned the ball over in crunch time, which hurt their team's late fourth-quarter rally. They will now head into Game 4 in what is essentially a must-win game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.